Microsoft's pricing decisions on the retail and download packages for the …

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Last Wednesday we talked about a new retail content pack and online map pack for Gears of War 2. The issue we had was its pricing: the retail disc brings every prior map for the game, a few other pieces of content, and the seven new maps and new campaign content for $20. If you already own the old map packs and just want the seven new maps and campaign mission, downloading them alone costs you... $20. That doesn't seem like a deal for people who just want the maps, and we said so. Guy Welch, the Global Product Manager for Xbox Global Marketing, had some words for our take on the issue.

"As you report, the a la carte price for the 'Dark Corners' content on Xbox LIVE is 1600 points, which includes seven maps and a new campaign chapter," he told Ars. "If you weigh each component equally, that's $2.50 each, which is in-line with the Game Add-On prices you see on Xbox LIVE. We think this is a great standalone value.

"In addition, there's the 'All Fronts' collection which is a limited-time retail product for $20, which is intended for new Gears players or people looking to catch up with what they might have missed earlier this year (Flashback was released in November, Combustible was released in December, Snowblind in March, and Dark Corners arrives in July). It's a great deal.

"I'm an early adopter, and sometimes I pay more in the end than if I would have if I'd waited for special promotions to come along," he explains. "It's the same situation here—MS did not set out to 'royally annoy' players, and certainly not to scam them, but to give special incentives to attract new players 8 months or so after the game's initial release."

So there you go: Microsoft makes the case for the pricing of both packages. It doesn't seem like a bad deal on either front until you compare the two products. If you just want the seven new content and are not paying for the packaging, the old content, the poster, the new video... shouldn't you pay less? The argument is that the lower price of the retail package is there to draw new gamers in, but it's at the risk of annoying the hardcore fans.

After hearing the other side of the story, what do you think of the pricing?